No. 18 Pitt squeezes by Virginia Tech 64-59
Pitt pushes past Virginia Tech 64-59 to improve to 8-2 on the year
BLACKSBURG, Va. — The No. 18 Pitt basketball team trailed for much of its game on Saturday, but made a late push, and figured out a way to pull out a 64-59 win over Virginia Tech as Cassell Coliseum. The Panthers improved to 8-2 on the year with the win and grabbed their first ACC win of the season in the process.
Jaland Lowe scored 11 of his 19 points in the final four minutes of the game, including a go-ahead layup with 50.7 seconds remaining to put his team up for good. He kept adding to it himself with four made free throws in the final seconds to set the final.
With Pitt clinging to a late one-point lead, the Panthers got a stop on a Guillermo Diaz Graham block. It was part of a staunch defensive effort in the second half. Virginia Tech went the final 5:19 without a field goal and shot just 33% after halftime.
The Panthers’ effort in the second half had to improve, because it seemed like they were sleepwalking at the start of this game. The Hokies led for 31 minutes on Saturday, and entered this game as the lowest ranked ACC team in terms of the NET ranking, as they were also riding a five-game losing streak.
Game MVP: Jaland Lowe
Jaland Lowe simply took over the game when he had to and that’s what elite players do. Lowe is one of the best point guards in the country, and dominated when his team needed him to do so on Saturday.
He scored 11 points over the final 3:57, including the go-ahead bucket and made every free throw that followed. The sophomore wasn’t at his best prior to that, as it was clear Virginia Tech’s entire plan was to slow him down, and even with that added attention Lowe finished with 19 points, five rebounds, and four steals.
Perfection
Pitt did not get to the line a lot on Saturday, but made it count when those opportunities presented themselves. The Panthers were 12-for-12 from the free-throw line, as Lowe made all six of his attempts. Pitt did not get many looks from the on Wednesday night in Starkville in a loss to Mississippi State and this game was called similarly at times, but still, you can only make the shots you are given, which Pitt did in this one.
Conquering Cassell
By virtue of Saturday’s result, Pitt claimed its first win over Virginia Tech in Blacksburg since 2003. You read that correctly. Pitt was wearing navy and gold, coached by Ben Howland, and playing in the Big East the last time it claimed a win down here. Obviously, the two teams do not meet every year in Blacksburg, but that’s still a good streak to get off the books for Pitt.
A lid on it
Pitt’s game on Saturday sort of brought out some of the concerns about this team and highlighted them in a bad way. One of those major areas of concern right now is three-point shooting. The Panthers were just 6-of-28 for the game, good for a 21% average. Pitt came into this game shooting 33.5% from deep over the first nine games, which is down from the previous two seasons. This area will continue to be a talking point, as it seems the Panthers are lacking a true go-to option here. Ishmael Leggett converted at a 3-of-9 clip, while the rest of the team went 3-of-19.
Made the adjustments
Pitt played an ugly first half. While the second half wasn’t aesthetically pleasing by any means, the team cleaned up the areas that were plauging them the most. Pitt committed nine first half turnovers, but only three after the break.
The Panthers lost the first half rebounding battle, but had an 18-15 edge there in the second half. Plus the Virginia Tech shooting numbers went from 51% at the half to 33% after it. In all phases, Pitt played better in the second half, it just took a little while longer for it all to come together to merit a win.
New look
Since the injury to Damian Dunn, Jeff Capel inserted Amsal Delalic into the starting lineup and kept Zack Austin in his sixth man role. Capel always referred to Austin as a sixth starter, but officially penciled him into that job today. Austin started 31 games last year, and has been playing starter’s minutes this season, so this was a move that kind of already happened. He finished with nine points, five rebounds, and was the only starter to not commit a turnover while playing 33 minutes. Delalic scored two points in six minutes off the bench.
Going home
The Pitt team is going home after today’s game, in more ways than one. Pitt head coach Jeff Capel noted the team has been away from Pittsburgh since Tuesday, as they came to Blacksburg following the Mississippi State game. Saturday’s contest also was the final in a five-game stretch away from home, as the Panthers came out of this tough stretch with a 3-2 record and their heads still very much above water, despite Wednesday’s blowout.
Up next: The Panthers return to action on Wednesday as they host Eastern Kentucky for a 7:00 p.m. tip at the Petersen Events Center with coverage on the ESPN+ application. Pitt has two more non-conference games, and will ramp up to the full ACC slate on January 1st.
